I don´t watch television, which is a very useful practice I have started years ago. It helps me to keep my mind clear and focused, so I try to stay away from annoying ads, fear propaganda and sensational triggers.

The most absurd thing on TV are political debates and since it is voting season in Germany, there are probably a lot of these happening right now. You are going to see people in suits throwing empty phrases at each other or even worse – putting others down in order to appear dominant. Cringe. Politicians are fighting about screen time, because there is an easy formula behind voting: The more they show their face, the more votes they can get. It´s even better if they present themselves as more violent, more stupid, more outrageous – because then they are memorable for the viewers and voters. In this way, the act of voting did mutate into an odd type of publicity contest.

Isn´t voting supposed to be a rational decision-making process for a nation?

I am willing to switch this around and put in the work to turn voting into a useful tool for me, by consciously choosing to ignore any emotional driven messages on TV, on posters, on all other media platforms and do some research instead. There is a tiny bit of direction still hidden in the voting system in Germany, if I try to get to know the future plans and different programs of the parties. For example, if I want to push forward the idea of a universal basic income I can check out that and vote for the party, who agreed to put that topic on their agenda. Which, by the way, could be an important point for all the people who have lost their main source of income due to the restrictions and limited options to do business – especially in the cultural and creative industries.

If you too, want to dive deeper into it and get to your own conclusion: here is more information in detail about how the parties deal with the topic of a universal basic income, published by stiftung grundeinkommen.

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